Creating a Forecast

A forecast is a snapshot of revenues over time. The following procedure explains how to create a forecast.

To create a forecast

Navigate to the Forecasts screen.

In the Forecasts list, add a new record and click the Forecast Series select button.

In the Pick Forecast Series dialog box, select the forecast series you are basing this forecast on, and then click OK.

Click the Forecast Date select button.

In the Pick Forecast Series Date dialog box, select the forecast date you want to apply to this forecast, and then click OK.

Step off the forecast or save the record to generate the forecast.

The forecast record's revenue fields (revenue, cost, margin, and expected revenue) are calculated. Some fields are described in the following table.

Field Name

Comments

Forecast Date

Indicates the start range of the forecast.

Forecast Series

Indicates the forecast series this forecast is based on.

Created By

Read-only. Indicates the name of the person who created the forecast. In some cases the owner of a forecast is not the creator of the forecast.

Submitted By

Read-only. Indicates the name of the person who submitted the forecast.

Owner

Indicates the person who owns or is responsible for this forecast.

Position

Read-only. Indicates the position of the owner of this forecast.

Organization

Read-only. Indicates what organization the owner of this forecast belongs to.

Forecast Revenue

Read-only. The sum the revenues included in this forecast.

Best Case

Read-only. A best case estimate of what revenue will be produced by an opportunity.

Updated

Read-only. Indicates the date and time the forecast was last changed.

Expected Revenue

Expected Revenue = Win Probability * Revenue / 100.

Status

Choose from Pending, Active, and Submitted.

Worst Case

Read-only. A worst case estimate of what revenue will be produced by an opportunity.

Cost

Read-only. Expense associated with an opportunity.

Margin

Read-only. A calculated field that displays the revenue figure minus the cost.

Drill down on the forecast record to view revenue details.

Drill down on each revenue item to view further information.

NOTE: When a manager forecasts, the application automatically creates forecasts for subordinates who are listed as participants of that series that have not already been forecasted. To disable this feature, see Inactivating Auto-Forecast.